kattitudes

This soup mix in a jar is a little different than normal in that it is a bit more substantial than most. The flavor makes it worthwhile, frankly.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup macaroni
1/4 cup lentils (dry)
1/4 cup mushrooms, dried and chopped
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon onion flakes
1 tablespoon chicken bullion granules
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 dash garlic powder

Layer ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Pasta Soup Mix:

Combine contents with three cups of water in two quart saucepan. Bring to boil then reduce heat.

Cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.

As nice as it is to make gifts for everyone for the holidays, sometimes those with special dietary needs are left out of the rotation. I find this particularly true now that I have completely given up chocolate and caffeine (migraine issues). The first thing that people want to give me for Christmas is, of course, chocolate!

I know that so many people are looking for mix in a jar recipes this holiday season. I think everyone is feeling budget pinching and wants to carefully use their holiday cash wisely. Mix in a jars seems a wise way to do just that, particularly since it is something that you yourself can use in your own pantry if you end up with too many mixes.

This particular mix is geared towards those that follow a vegetarian dietary lifestyle. The combination of soybean flour and vegetable protein actually makes it pretty hefty on the protein levels, so it would be great for you to keep around for quick lunches for you if needed.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons dried onion flakes
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon soybean flour
2-3 tablespoon vegetable protein
2 tablespoon instant mashed potato

Combine ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Instant Cheesy Soup

Add two tablespoons mix to one mug boiling water (or to taste) and stir.

Ingredients:

1 cup dry minced onions
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup parsley
2 teaspoons onion salt
2 teaspoons summer savory
2 teaspoons dried celery leaves
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 tablespoon dry sweet pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
7 ounces beef bouillon powder (or granules)
1/4 cup homemade dry gravy mix (see link for recipe)
1/2 cup dried chopped vegetables

Combine ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Beef Vegetable Soup

To make beef vegetable soup by size of soup pot used:

Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of starter mix for every cup of water.
Add 4 to 5 tablespoons of starter mix for every quart of water.
Add 8 tablespoons of starter mix for every 1/2 gallon water.

The amount of beef to be added depends upon your own tastes and budget.

With Thanksgiving, on Thursday, a bazillion households are going to be making their version of green bean casserole. My baby sister is making her version for our dinner and I cannot wait.

However, I found a fantastic mix in a jar recipe that you can use to replace all the condensed cream of anything soup cans that are out there. This stuff rocks.

First, this recipe is wonderful as a mix in a jar type gift. It is a very multi-purpose type of recipe and really allows your recipient so much flexibility. And second, this is a wonder to keep in your own pantry as a recipe saver . Rather than using that plastic sodium muck in a can, you can control the quality of the ingredients in your soup and make a really tasty, fresh cream filled soup.

The trick of this particular soup is the anything part. You can make it cream of anything by adding one half cup of anything to the soup base. So if you need cream of mushroom soup, simply add 1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms to the soup base and presto, instant cream of mushroom soup.

Ingredients:

4 cups powdered milk
1 1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup instant chicken bouillon granules
4 teaspoons dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons basil (crushed and dried)
1 teaspoon pepper

Combine ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

1/3 cup mix
1 cup water

Cook over low until thick.
For the “anything”, add 1/2 cup of minced/chopped “anything”.

This is a fantastic gift mix. And it is utterly wonderful to mix up and keep in your own pantry. You use it in place of all that plastic condensed canned plastic soup junk. You can use it for casseroles or as a base for soups that you make. This is such a great trick to keep in your cupboard. You will find you pull it out as a recipe rescue time and time again.

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered nonfat milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup (or less) instant vegetable bouillon
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon basil leaves
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combine ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Use to substitute one can of condensed soup. Combine 1/3 cup dry mix and 1 1/4 cup cold water in saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened. Add as you would soup.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dried pinto beans
3/4 cup dried red kidney beans

Seasoning packet:

2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1 cup small cut pasta

Combine ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Rinse and pick over beans. Put into 5 quart heavy pot with 4 cups water. Bring to boil, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for one hour.

Drain beans and return to pot. Add eight cups of water and contents of seasoning packet. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer one hour or until beans are firm tender. Stir in rice and bring to simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Uncover, stir in pasta and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.

If you are gifting this mix to a vegetarian, you can omit the vegetable bouillon altogether. If you are gifting to a regular omnivore, you can easily replace the vegetable bouillon with beef bouillon or omit altogether.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup assorted vegetable flakes according to your tastes (Suggestions include tomatoes, celery, onion, zucchini, onion, peas, broccoli and carrots. You can make your own by putting dried veggies in a blender until pea-sized)
1 tablespoon cracked wheat
1 tablespoon pasta, broken up
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried sweet basil
pinch garlic powder
pinch onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: one cube vegetable bouillon

Combine ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Add mix to 2 cups of boiling water (or stock if preferred). Allow to steep covered for approximately 3-4 minutes.

I am one of those rare creatures that just does not care for tomato soup. Tomatoes in soup are perfectly wonderful, but plain tomato soup - bleah. Bizarre dichotomy, I know.

As a result, I am absolutely unable to judge which of these recipes are a better fit. Therefore, since I have both, I decided to simply post both so as to allow those that like this sort of thing to make a final determination for themselves.

These simple mix in a jar recipes make an utterly fantastic packaged gift for university mates and children that are going back. Send them with as many mixes as you can package up. They will already have access to a kettle in their dorm rooms, I am sure (as I most certainly did), and the ability to whip up a nice (free) mug of soup from home would be most appreciated.

Ingredients for Variation One

4 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons powdered dry tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon basil
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Combine ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Add mix to one mug of hot water. Stir and let steep for two minutes.

Ingredients for Variation Two

3 cups dried tomato slices
1/2 cup dried milk powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine ingredients in blender to crush to powder.

Store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

1 package mix
1 1/2 quart boiling water

Combine and simmer 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon butter after cooking.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried barley
1/4 cup dried mushroom slices
2 tablespoons dried onions, minced
1/4 cup dried carrot slices
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
2 tablespoons dried dill
2 bay leaves
2 beef bouillon cubes or 2 teaspoons bouillon powder

Combine ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Add mix to one quart boiling water and simmer until barley is tender. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Because of the nature of split pea soup, this is the one soup I actually would use regular salted bouillon powder. Unsalted split pea soup tastes a little too plain for me, but to each their own. If you would rather go with unsalted, by all means.

Ingredients:

3 ounces dried cheese filled tortellini (2/3 cup)
1/4 cup dried tomatoes (snipped into pieces) (I leave this out of mine)
1/3 cup dried split green peas
1/2 dried chopped carrots
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
1 tablespoon dried minced onions
1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (crushed)
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (crushed)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Layer all ingredients in container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

1 package mix
Add five cups water.
Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer approximately 45 minutes to an hour or until peas are tender.
(Serving suggestion: add one cup chopped ham or sausage).